The ancient Anglo-Saxon poem “Beowulf” was written by an unknown poet sometime around 1000 AD, and the movie that was based off of that, “The 13th Warrior”, was produced by McTiernan, Crichton, and Ned Dowd, with Andrew G. Vajna and Ethan Dubrow back in 1999.
Due to the fact that “The 13th Warrior” is a loose retelling of “Beowulf” one can expect to see some similarities between two works, however, there is one key difference that separates “Beowulf” from “The 13th Warrior”: the role of the 13 warriors within the two works. In the movie “The 13th Warrior”,the producers decided to portray each conflict as a group conflict, not just as Beowulf’s alone, whereas in the poem “Beowulf”, the group is almost completely ignored and Beowulf alone is seen as the sole-protagonist up until his death.
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The dynamic between the two works shifted from a singular conflict (Beowulf and Unferth) into a group one (Beowulf’s men and Unferth’s men).
This also happened at the “Battle with Grendel” scene. In the poem, Beowulf single (and bare) handedly “killed Grendel, ending the grief, the sorrow, the suffering forced on Hrothgar’s helpless people”. Yet, in the movie “The 13th Warrior”, it wasn’t a single entity that had to be defeated, but rather an it was an entire village of raiders who were harassing Hrothgar’s people, and Beowulf required the assistance of the community and his men in order to defeat the
Passed down through various societies for multiple generations, the poem Beowulf is a true literary masterpiece. While first spread by word of mouth, the work was later transcribed, translated, and transformed into numerous forms of literature and media. Due to this, we know that their is not one true Beowulf. As Professor Martin Foys once said, “each generation gets the version of Beowulf it deserves”. These various adaptations led to differing tales of the conquests of Beowulf, as is the case with the first of the three agons, Beowulf’s clash with Grendel.
In the book Beowulf and the movie the 13th warrior, there are many differences and similarities. The differences is the religion aspect and the monster they were fighting. The similarity is that they both fought the monster at the same place. In the essay I will talk more about the similarity and the differences. It is quite interesting what all similarities and differences that there are.
The movie called 13th Warrior has many similarities and also differences at the same time when compared to the poem, Beowulf. There are a lot of changes in plot of the poem, and the sequence of things in the movie. The idea of the existence of an old race and the need for an epic hero is evident in the movie and in the poem as well. The differences and similarities shown in The 13th Warrior and Beowulf can be found through the plot, setting, supernatural, and the central idea.
Beofwulf’s structure, events, diction, and the story of a complete warrior depict what a true epic poem looks like. The poem shows the reader many events and tragedies that create a long line-filled poem. Beowulf endures many journeys throughout the narrative that solidify as heroic and truly legendary. Many unlikely and superhuman abilities are displayed throughout Beowulf as well. Structure, heroics, and superhuman abilities in the narrative Beowulf, which tells of Beowulf’s journeys, provide a great example of an epic.
The epic poem “Beowulf”, translated by Burton Raffel, focuses on a hero by the name of Beowulf who goes on a quest to rescue King Hrothgar and his people from an egregious monster by the name of Grendel. This Anglo-Saxon tale gives insight into the values and beliefs of the people from whom the story originated. Their war-centered ideology and views on loyalty and courage were the principles that the Anglo-Saxon culture was founded upon. While warfare was a focal point in their lifestyle, it was far from a savage, barbaric state of fighting. Honor and prestige were bestowed upon those who died during battle and selflessness for fellow warriors was a fundamental belief.
Beowulf is a historical poem that was made in the 8th century. Beowulf has taught many people in the world that we should always fight and succeed when it comes to our obstacles. Beowulf is a story that is mostly fighting the people that Beowulf fights for is his king and allies after all he is a strong warrior.he fights lot in the story and someone he fight is grendel a evil monster he fights and dies as a loyal soldier. Beowulf is a wonderful book that poems admiration and loyalty in every way possible. Beowulf was a strong warrior to show how he was i have this quote directly said by beowulf himself”If death does take me send the hammered mail to Higlac and return the inheritance i had from hrethel l and he from wayland fate will unwind
In the epic Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney, Beowulf is depicted as a heroic figure who fights monsters and defends the weak. During its time, Beowulf would be considered a great hero, however in today 's standards Beowulf would only be considered a great warrior. That’s because a hero should value the lives of the people and not seek to be rewarded. Instead, Beowulf committed heroic acts for his own selfish reasons and never shows to values the lives of the people. From fighting Grendel to slaying the dragon, Beowulf only fought because he value the fame and fortune that comes along with those accomplishments.
The poem and movie of “Beowulf” are very different and they are also sort of similar. There are a lot more differences between the two than you would expect and while some of them are minor differences others are drastically different. Most movies are very different from the book they are made from. The biggest differences between the movie and poem were the three battles. The three battles have drastic differences.
The film and epic poem Beowulf may seem alike because of their similar plots and characters, but when looked at deeper, it is clear that their cultural differences set them apart. Traditionally, epic poems are lengthy stories that praise the deeds of heroic warriors whilst reflecting the brutal reality of life. They expressed cultural pride and teachings, while telling everyone that we are hopeless in the hands of fate; that all human ambition ends in death. In our modern world today, movies are made to entertain, but more importantly to sell and make a profit.
This example shows how despite what happens in the story good always wins over evil in medieval film and literature (“Beowulf” 50, 54, 60, Simon, par 14). Also it shows the bravery and chivalry of Beowulf which in addition could be said about Batman in the film Dark Knight because he was willing to risk his life to save his world (“Beowulf 63, “Dark Knight,” par. 1). The similarities of modern films and medieval romance display how modern films are
Beowulf manifests the features of a literary epic by reflecting the Anglo-Saxon warrior culture from which it came from, and containing great, descriptive language and plots that include great battles and conflicts. The warrior culture is evident from the explanation of the story in Journeys where Beowulf, along with his group of warriors, sails to Denmark, ready to defeat Grendel to the very end of the excerpt where defeating Grendel brings Beowulf honor, pride, and glory. “He was happy with his / nightwork / and the courage he had shown” (826-828). Great battle and conflict, as well as descriptive detail, can be seen in this line from Beowulf and Grendel’s battle, “Every bone in his body [Grendel’s] / quailed and recoiled, but he could not
For instance, these battles are not fought for the same reason. Overall Beowulf fights for glory throughout the epic poem, but there are specific reasons when it comes down to the three battles. First and foremost, Beowulf fights Grendel to protect the people of Heorot. Secondly, he fights Grendel’s mother because instead of grieving over the loss of Grendel, she goes to Heorot for revenge. Lastly, Beowulf fights the dragon because not only does he want to protect his people but he also wants to gain the treasure the dragon so fiercely guards.
Beowulf took place in the sixth century, in times where “rank and ceremony, human solidarity and culture” were key components of social culture. Glory also played a huge role: “veterans with their tales of warrior-kings and hero-saviours from the past [rubbed] shoulders with young braves,” influencing the latter to strive for greatness (Heaney). Heroism and sacrifice are part of what “gave drive and sanction to the Germanic warrior-culture enshrined in Beowulf” (Heaney). Christianity played a large part in both Germanic society and the poem Beowulf.
Beowulf is an archetypal character within a legendary piece of text. He embodies the conglomerate of many Anglo Saxon values expressed throughout his heroic journey. Contrived by the mighty Northern Anglo Saxons, Beowulf is the manifestation of the Anglo Saxon ideals. This work of art helps us identify and analyze Beowulf’s ideals in a way that lets us deduce the values of the Anglo Saxon society. Examination of this poem lets us familiarize ourselves about a society obsessed with religion, vengeance and war-lust beings.
The Perfect Hero In every heroic tale, there lies a theme of balance in values. Every hero is said to possess a fatal flaw; whether they overcome this flaw or let it define who they are is up to them. In the epic poem Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney, it is not particularly hard for the reader to point out their perceived flaws of our hero: arrogance, pride, egotism. Yet, Beowulf stands tall in the poem as the perfect hero, adored and praised by all.